As Drake falls, I can only think of one man: Phil Collins
When it was just Euphoria and Push Ups I knew Kendrick would win. Part of that is my bias as I’ve been a Kendrick superfan for ages, but the other side is that the Drake era cannot last forever. When I think of Drake, the clearest comparison I can make is Phil Collins. Collins shares few superficial similarities with Drake, but despite the 80’s now being defined by Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, you could easily argue Collins was the most emblematic artist of the 80’s. He certainly doesn’t have Thriller or Purple Rain under his belt, but he had hits from the decade’s earliest times to the decade’s end, and, excluding Michael Jackson, he had the most mainstream appeal. And despite having musical virtuosity, despite having undeniable classics, by the start of the 90’s there was clear backlash.
To put it simply, nobody can be at the top forever. Few artists who were huge in the 80’s kept their star as bright in the 90’s, and those who did either hit their stride later into the decade (Janet Jackson with Rhythm Nation in 1989) or had a return to form after a commercial drop (Madonna). Modern music is certainly more amenable to veteran artists, but someone like Beyonce gives the world time to miss them. Meanwhile, Drake has dropped project after project after project with nonstop hits that seem to have given him no good will. More than anything, this is what reminds me of Collins. Collins did not drop nearly as often as Drake does, but in the same way people rarely talk about Sussudio, Collins’ cover of You Can’t Hurry Love, or Another Day in Paradise I have to ask if people will remember Slime You Out, Search and Rescue, Way 2 Sexy, or even some of his better recent singles like Jimmy Cooks or Rich Baby Daddy.
Drake has not had a single year without a song reaching the top 10 since 2012. Even if Drake’s quality had kept up with what he’d been doing in his earliest moments people would probably be sick of him. But instead Drake has sounded less and less interested in his moody hip-hop style or in music at all. Since the massive flops of Certified Lover Boy and Honestly Nevermind Drake’s singles performance has largely been carried by people whose stars are rising from 21 Savage to SZA. When Phil Collins star fell after the 80’s, his profile lowered but he stuck around long enough to make the well-liked Tarzan soundtrack. Even if Kendrick is making up every questionably true thing about Drake, he won’t be sticking around.
